The Coalition of Women for Peace appealed to diplomats and EU representatives to intervene on behalf of Palestinian hunger Striker Hana Shalabi

Thursday, March 1st, 2012 | 13:19

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3/1/12

The Coalition of Women for Peace appealed to diplomats and EU representatives to intervene on behalf of Palestinian hunger Striker Hana Shalabi

Today is Shalabi’s 15th day of hunger strike in protest of her administrative detention. No charges have been brought against her.

In its appeal to the international community, the Coalition of Women for Peace underlines that if Israel will refuse to release Shalabi and continue to jeopardize the prisoner’s life, its international status and the stability of the region will be seriously undermined.

The Coalition of Women for Peace protests the draconian and arbitrary use of administrative detentions the harsh treatment of Shalabi by the Israeli authorities.

Shalabi was released as a part of the prisoners exchange deal that freed Gilad Shalit, following an administrative detention that lasted over two years, without any charges brought against her by Israel. She was arrested again in early-February, and began her hunger strike in protest against sexual harassment, physical and mental abuse she suffered during her interrogation and arrest. Inspired by detainee Khader Adnan’s 67-day hunger strike that came to a dramatic end last week, Shalabi is determined to risk her life in the struggle for human dignity and basic human rights.

Yesterday, on February 29th, in a closed-door hearing at the Ofer military court, the military prosecution admitted that contrary to what they have previously claimed, Shalabi is not suspected of being a member of the Islamic Jihad or any other organization.

Oriana Weich, Coalition of Women for Peace activist and one of the organizers of the campaign for Shalabi’s release, said: “Over three hundred Palestinians are held in Israeli prisons without ever having charges brought against them. They live in terrible uncertainty and do not know when they will be released. Administrative detentions come to an end as abruptly as they begin, without any explanation or indictment. The primary goal of these detentions is to install fear, cut off the detainees from their daily activities and extort them into cooperation with the Shabak.”